A high Pryce to play...

Jonathan Pryce in new BBC3 sitcom

Pirates of the Caribbean and Tomorrow Never Dies star Jonathan Pryce is returning to TV for a new BBC Three sitcom.

He has been named as the star of Clone, a comedy about a human clone designed to be a prototype supersoldier, but who turns out to be a lot softer than his creator wanted.

The show – to be scripted by a US-style writing team – is described as both a 'fish out of water' comedy and a ‘buddy comedy between a modern Dr. Frankenstein and his monster.’

Also in the cast are League of Gentleman star Mark Gatiss, Fiona Glascott from Foyle's War and Stuart McLoughlin, who is currently appearing in Brief Encounter in the West End.

The first episode of the series is being recorded this Friday in Wembley, North London.

Creator Adam Chase, who was a writer and executive producer on Friends, has been recruited from America to oversee the show.

The new six-part series, which will air later this year, is the first commission from Roughcut TV, the independent production company headed by The Office producer Ash Atalla

BBC Three controller Danny Cohen has said: ‘It's really exciting to be experimenting with the team-writing model on Three: an approach we tend to use less frequently in British comedy.’

The BBC has previously used team writers on My Family and After You’ve Gone.

Published: 8 Jul 2008

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